Washington, DC —Yahoo!, Nortel, AstraZeneca, Valley Metro Regional Public TransportationAuthority and North Texas Clean Air Coalition are among the companiesand organizations with leading professionals who recently won EPA awardsfor efforts to conserve fuel, reduce air pollution and ease trafficcongestion across the country. Forty-three recipients were presentedwith the First Annual Best Workplaces for Commuters Race to ExcellenceAwards. Some of the efforts include: adding new alternatives forcommuters, expanding tele-commuting programs, increasing ride-sharing,and promoting public transportation and commuter benefits in their localareas.

The goal of the Best Workplaces for Commuters program is to offeralternatives to driving alone to reduce air pollution, trafficcongestion, and fuel usage. EPA estimates that Best Workplaces forCommuters employers have prevented 2.9 million metric tons of carbondioxide emissions and conserved nearly 388 million gallons of fuelssince the program began in 2001.

For a list of winners and additional information about EPA's BestWorkplaces for Commuters Race to Excellence program, visit:http://www.bwc.gov/networkawards/index.htm